Tag Archives: wraps

If my little garden was any bigger than it is now, I would be in a heap of trouble. I try my best to plant vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and chard in various stages so they all don’t mature at once. It’s called succession planting. Succession planting is a method of utilizing space and time. No matter how much effort that I put into planning my garden it seems like there are times when certain vegetables really get away from me. Today, my problem is lettuce. And I sure do have lots of it…

The problem with lettuce is that you can generally only eat it fresh. You can’t freeze it. And, you can’t can it. I guess technically, you could, but why? And once the warm weather hits, it bolts. And once it bolts, it’s bitter. Fortunately, what I don’t use, I give away to family, friends and coworkers.

Today, I went out and picked a bunch of romaine lettuce, red radishes and parsley from my garden for my Quinoa Black Bean Lettuce Wraps. My Quinoa Black Bean Lettuce Wraps are easy to make, fresh tasting and vegan too. The lettuce wraps are made with cooked Red Quinoa, black beans, chopped red onions, little grape tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, radishes, with a bright tasting red wine vinaigrette wrapped up in a lettuce leaf. It’s a great side dish or by itself for light lunch or dinner. I’m thinking that these also would make interesting appetizers to serve at my next backyard barbeque. Makes about 16 wraps. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red quinoa (picked over and rinsed well)

1 cup water

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1/3 cup diced red onion

1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used red grape)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup roasted red bell pepper (diced)

juice of one lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 1/2 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs maple syrup

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp seasoning salt or to taste

1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper or to taste

16 lettuce leaves (I used young romaine, but bibb lettuce is probably best)

Garnish with lime wedges, thin sliced radishes and sprigs of parsley

Begin by cooking your quinoa and water in a covered saucepan on medium low for about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool completely. In a medium bowl add quinoa, black beans, onion, tomato, cilantro, parsley and roasted red bell pepper. Mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together the lime juice, coriander, cumin, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste and correct your seasonings. Add vinaigrette to quinoa mixture. Mix well to coat. Chill for about a half an hour and serve spooned on top of lettuce leaves. Garnish with lime wedges, thinly sliced radishes and fresh picked parsley. Makes about 16 lettuce wraps.